News

CRJ President and CEO John Larivee highlights value of reentry services in radio interview

February 23, 2018

BOSTON — Community-based reentry services reduce recidivism and promote healthy lives and communities, Community Resources for Justice President and CEO John Larivee said in a radio interview this week.

Larivee joined state Reps. Russell Holmes, D-Boston, and Evandro Carvalho, D-Boston, and Kevin Sibley, director of Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s Office of Returning Citizens, for a discussion on the importance of reentry services on Boston Praise Radio on Wednesday.

Reentry services combine case management, support, and supervision for men and women returning to the community after incarceration. These programs assist individuals with finding housing, employment, counseling, and other services to create the foundation for a new life outside of prison walls. But the availability of these programs is shrinking in Massachusetts, even as the state lawmakers consider an overhaul of the criminal justice system.

Reentry advocates are pushing lawmakers to include $5 million in the state budget for community-based reentry programs to allow an estimated 450 individuals to benefit from reentry services. The state currently only dedicates about $90,000 — roughly the cost of incarcerating two people in state prison for a year — to reentry services, all of which goes to support one program in Worcester County.

Watch the full video below:

Click here to read more about the effort to support reentry services in Massachusetts.

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